We covered vs. 1-10
Sunday. But what Jesus says in the rest
of ch. 10 flows out of these vs. so we’ll briefly recap them tonight.
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, . . .
I want to stop right there
& just say that John records Jesus saying this phrase 25 times in his gospel.
It translates the Greek
phrase – αμην αμην
λεγω υμιν = Amane, amane, legoh humeen.
Our
word “Amen” from this word. The Greeks transliterated
it from the Hebrew.
The
word was used in Jesus’ day to mark something as absolutely trustworthy.
It
meant one could place complete confidence in something because it was utterly
true.
To repeat the word in this
formula was to elevate what was being said beyond the realm of mere human
expression. It was claiming divine
authorship for what was being said.
This helps us understand why
John quotes Jesus using it 25 times in his gospel.
In
ch. 1 he calls Jesus the Word of God & he ends the book by saying his aim
was to convince his readers that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter
the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief
and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the
sheep.
Sheep & shepherds were a
common fixture throughout
In
fact, as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, the Jews drew their
origins as a pastoral people.
Several
passages of the Tanach, the OT, likened
The prophecies of the coming
Messiah were the built in screening process God had given them to know their
true Redeemer.
They
provided the proper doorway through which He would come.
But
there’d been many imposters who’d come claiming they were the Messiah.
They’d
not fulfilled the prophecies; they’d climbed in other ways.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his
voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
The civil & religious
leaders of
4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before
them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they
will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not
know the voice of strangers.”
Jesus emphasizes here how the
sheep have a strong attachment to their shepherd and won’t be fooled by
imposters.
6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not
understand the things which He spoke to them.
Which was in itself an
illustration of the very thing He was saying.
They
didn’t understand Him because they weren’t part of His flock.
If
they had genuine faith in the God of Israel, they would have recognized Jesus
for who he was –
Now Jesus applies this
pastoral image to Himself directly . . .
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I
say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Once the sheep were gathered
in the sheepfold, whether a cave or a circular fenced in pen, the shepherd sat
down in the opening & made up the door with his body.
The
sheep could not get out & predators could not get in without his leave.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and
robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
There were several false
messiahs bother before & after Jesus.
In
fact, it was these false messiahs that led to the eventual destruction of
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be
saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does
not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they
may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
There is one very important difference
between a normal shepherd & his flock & the flock of God.
With
real
sheep,
their condition is a direct reflection of their
shepherd’s care.
If
they’re healthy, with thick coats, frisky movements, & plenty of little
lambs, it’s because their shepherd is skilled & doing a great job.
If
they’re emaciated, flea-bitten, & lethargic, their shepherd is a bum.
With the flock of God, the
image is reversed – Our Shepherd is the best there is and His care is complete.
So
if we’re not doing well, if we’re spiritually anemic & weak, the problem is
with us!
We’re
not staying close to the Shepherd; we’ve wondered off & resisted His loving
care.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His
life for the sheep.
Jesus now makes the pastoral
image clear – it’s an illustration of Who & What He is –
And
as a faithful keeper of the flock, He puts His own life at peril to protect
them.
We read the last half of v.
11 as referring to the cross, which it does.
But
it was also part of the job description of a shepherd.
It
was expected that when a wolf or lion menaced the flock, the shepherd would
intervene & attempt to drive the predator off.
So
when Jesus said this, they understood Him to simply be clarifying what He meant
by saying He was a GOOD shepherd. That’s
made clear by what comes next . . .
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one
who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and
flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The
hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
A shepherd could not manage a
flock much bigger than about 50 sheep.
Any
larger than that & they simply got beyond his ability to oversee well.
If a shepherd’s flocks
increased & there were no other family members to assign them to, then he’d
have to hire shepherds.
But
because they were only hired, they rarely showed the kind of care for the flock
as the owner.
And
when danger came in the form of a predator, they weren’t going to risk the loss
of life or limb to protect a bunch of dumb sheep.
Jesus is contrasting the
quality of His ministry to the rulers & others who’d come claiming to be the
Messiah.
They
were ambitious with no concern for the flock other than what they could be used
for in pursuing their own selfish ends.
The
flock of God wasn’t something to tend for The Lord’s glory; they were the
source of wool & mutton for themselves.
This is ever the way to
assess a leader’s quality: Is the effect of his/her work to advance the
condition of those he/she is leading, or his/her own position at their expense?
This
is why we can be so proud of the man God appointed to be the leader of the move
of the Spirit we call CC – Pastor Chuck Smith.
He
is a true pastor; the word is simply a synonym for ‘shepherd.’
Though
he remains virtually unknown, the movement he’s led for nearly 40 years has
gone round the world & touched hundreds of thousands of lives.
He
lives a modest & unassuming life while staying faithful to the vision God
gave him 4 decades ago.
As
a door-keeper, an under-shepherd, he reflects the heart of the Chief Shepherd.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep,
and am known by My own.
Because the shepherd spends
so much time with his sheep, He gets to know them real well.
Not
only does he lead them from pasture to pasture, but he spends a lot of time
just sitting and watching them as they eat, sleep, & play.
He
gets up close & personal with them often by grooming them to make sure no
ticks or parasites have attached themselves.
The
shepherd checks their eyes, their ears, rubs his hands through their coats
& feels for tell-tale signs of concern.
He listens as they baa to for any sound of distress.
And
over time, he gets to know the unique personality of every sheep.
Jesus knows you.
He
knows your name. Oh, not the name stuck on you by your parents; I’m talking
about your real name, the one assigned you by the Creator.
Just
as the shepherd gave names to the sheep of his flock based on his knowledge of
them, God has given you a name that is more than just a label to call you by.
It’s
a description
of who you are in His eternal plan.
Rev.
2:17 tells us about this new name that will be revealed to us when we step into
the glory of heaven.
We
read there that God will give us a white stone on which our new name is
written.
We’ll
take a look at that name, & realize in that instant all that God created us
to be & do.
Everything
about our lives here that was a mystery will fall into place.
That
name will be like a key that unlocks a whole new realm of understanding to us.
Not only does Jesus know us,
as the sheep know their shepherd, so we know ours.
But
what sheep know their shepherd best? Those that stay closest to Him.
In vs. 3-14, Jesus makes
frequent reference to the intimate relationship between the
shepherd & the sheep.
Drawing
on this picture of intimate relationship, Jesus turns it in another direction -
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and
I lay down My life for the sheep.
There was no mistaking that
Jesus was referring to God when He spoke of His Father.
And
while it was one thing to say the Father knew Him, it was an altogether
different thing to say He knew His Father with the same kind of intimacy.
I
mean, we can all agree that Jesus knows us intimately, perfectly.
In
fact, He knows us better than we know ourselves.
But
no one would dare to presume that we know Him to the same degree He knows us.
In v. 15 Jesus says that the
knowledge He has of the Father is on the same level as the Father’s knowledge
of Him. That’s huge – and another
unmistakable claim to deity.
Then Jesus reaffirms that His
care for the flock of God extends all the way to the point of self-sacrifice.
16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold;
them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one
flock and one shepherd.
Who is Jesus referring to
here? Well, that’s answered by keeping
the context
in mind.
The
chapter began with Jesus making reference to the door prepared by God through
the prophecies of the Messiah who would come to His flock—
The sheepfold
was the covenant God had made with them through the Law of Moses.
But
Jesus spoke in v. 9 of a new fold He was comprising that
would be entered by faith in Him.
Here He says He possesses other
sheep who are not part of
He’s
referring to Gentile believers in God.
The
Gospel will tear down the old distinctions between Jew & Gentile so that
the only distinction will be between the lost & the saved.
Paul
talks about this in greater depth in
The Mormon’s claim this verse
refers to Jesus’ appearance in the
Don’t
really have to. Mormonism is in a rapid
state of collapse.
Many
of their foundational doctrines have been shown by genetics & archaeology
to be absurd.
So a
segment of the Mormon leadership has begun discussions with Evangelical leaders
on what it would take to become accepted as an orthodox evangelical church.
About 10 years ago, a cult
known as the Worldwide Church of God
shed its aberrant views & aligned itself with Fundamental, Evangelical
Christianity.
Certain
Mormon leaders are pressing for the same thing.
They are the minority at present, but the move is genuine and growing.
17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My
life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay
it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it
again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus knew what lay before
Him; He knew the cross was coming & makes it clear He would not be dragged
off kicking & screaming to His execution.
He
would lay down His life for the sheep, & by so doing c0omplete the mission
He’d been given in the eternal counsel of the Godhead.
Once
His death had fully satisfied the requirements of justice, He would rise again.
For generations,
anti-Semitism has justified its persecution of the Jews by calling them “Christ
killers.”
The
opposition the movie The Passion of the
Christ received was due mostly to the concern that a graphic demonstration
of the suffering of Christ would renew this age-old invective & a new wave
of anti-Semitism would propel another round of persecution of Jews.
What Jesus said here ought to
forever dispel the attempt to blame the Jews for the death of Christ.
Jesus
was no helpless victim, led away against His will.
He
was the Master Who went to death as part of the eternal plan of God.
Sure it was hateful hands
that laid hold of Him, who held the whip & hammer.
But
it was my sins & you sins that brought Him to Earth in the first place – all
so He could die that day on that cross – our Good Shepherd laying down His life
for the Sheep.
19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews
because of these sayings.
This isn’t the first time
Jesus’ words have caused people to be divided; John has already told us several
times the people were divided in their opinions about Him.
20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why
do you listen to Him?”
One side found Jesus’ words
totally outrageous; the ravings of a lunatic.
21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a
demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
In the ch. 9, Jesus had
healed a man born blind.
The
miracle created a huge brouhaha in
The
people who found Jesus’ word’s credible answered the charge that He was crazy
& demon-possessed with a logical challenge: Lunatics are cogent &
eloquent as Jesus was, & they don’t perform miracles!
They’re
so messed up they make no sense & their lives are a mess!
They
NEED a miracle, they don’t
dispense them!
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in
This would have been a good
place to insert a ch. break because we go from the season of the Feast of
Tabernacles which takes place in Sept/Oct. to late December and the Feast of
Dedication—Hanukkah.
Hanukkah celebrated the
re-dedication of the
The
prophet Daniel had given an extensive picture of this period of time, painting
Antiochus as an antichrist-type figure who would defile the
Once
the pagan idols were cleared out of the
The
process of making the special oil took 8 days, & miraculously the lights
stayed lit.
Toe celebrate the Jewish
victory over the Syrians & the miracle of the menorah, they celebrated the
Festival of Dedication – Hanukkah.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.
This was a roofed area located
at the eastern side of the temple platform.
It’s
called Solomon’s porch or colonnade because it’s thought to be the only portion
of the temple mount left undisturbed by the Babylonians in their destruction of
the temple nearly 600 years before.
It was the place where the
scribes would meet to hold their discussions on interpretations of the law.
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How
long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, [the Messiah] tell us
plainly.”
If you’ve been with us
consistently on Wednesday night, you know this is a ridiculous challenge.
In
fact, tonight we’ve seen Jesus making a clear claim to being Christ.
The
whole “Good Shepherd” claim was such.
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not
believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of
The ask if He’s the Messiah. He tells them He’s already made that clear.
The
works He does confirm His claim.
But
they don’t
believe because they won’t believe.
Their
problem wasn’t their heads, it was their hearts.
They
had all the evidence they needed to draw the right conclusion, but when they
saw where the evidence was leading, because they didn’t want to go there, they
blamed their confusion on a lack of clarity in Jesus.
V. 28 has become a premier
proof-text in the debate between those who say once-saved/always-saved &
those who say you can lose your salvation.
Both
sides are wrong!
Let’s take a closer look at
this. Speaking of His sheep, Jesus says
. . .
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
That looks like a slam dunk
support for the once-saved/always-saved side.
Jesus
gives His people eternal life, & they shall never perish.
No
one can take them “out of His
hand,” meaning from under his care as the shepherd.
Psalm
95:7 says, “ For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture,
and the sheep of His hand.”
As I said, taken in
isolation, this looks like a slam dunk for the case against losing one’s
salvation.
But if we remove the verse
markers & look at what Jesus said here in totality, we’ll see a different
picture emerging. We need to start with
v. 27 –
27 My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they
follow Me.
Before we get to v. 28 we
have people who are described as actively hearing & following Jesus.
His
words & works have divided people into two groups; those who believe &
those who don’t. Those who carry on in
an active belief in Him come into eternal life.
The promise of v. 28 is for
those who are following Jesus.
“Follow”
is in a Present-Active-Indicative = It speaks of an on-going event.
V.
28 is not a proof-text for the once-saved/always-saved argument.
Rather
vs. 27 & 28 are further evidence of the Biblical position that our security
is IN Christ & Christ alone.
It’s
not in an altar call when we were 18, or the sinner’s prayer recited in Sunday
school 15 years ago.
The reason I say both sides
of the classic debate are wrong is because in the NT, our security is always CONDITIONED on our abiding IN
Christ, so that militates against the once-saved/always-saved position.
But
it is equally wrong to say someone can lose their salvation.
Salvation
cannot be LOST. WE are lost before Christ graciously
saves us.
But
if we fail to abide in Christ, if we stop following & forsake
His merciful hand, we can come to the place where we of set purpose forfeit
faith & turn our backs on Christ.
But
make no mistake, this isn’t done easily or casually – it only comes after much
long resistance to the voice of the Shepherd.
The
NT speaks of those who fall away & warns believer repeatedly about the
danger of hardening ourselves to the voice of God. That’s what the whole book of Hebrews is
about.
The
Spirit would not spend so much time cautioning us about falling away if the
threat were not real.
The question ought not be
whether or not we can lose our salvation.
The question ought to be – Where
is security?
Vs.
27-29 tell us security lies in following Jesus.
Simple
– Think about it from the sheep’s perspective.
Where’s
it safest? At the shepherd’s feet.
Where’s
the danger? Playing lose with the
commitment to follow him.
They had challenged Jesus to
what they called a more blunt or obvious claim to being the Messiah. He replied that His claims were crystal.
After
all, they’d already taken up stones to kill Him for blasphemy!
But
then He goes ahead & says something that was calculated to secure a strong
reaction from them.
30 I and My Father are one.” 31 Then
the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
This was no new claim. He’d already said much the same thing before.
But
now they are left with no doubt about what He means by claiming this kind 9of
unity with the Father – He’s claiming equality with Him.
So
they again initiate stoning.
Normally at this point, Jesus
would slip away, just blending into the crowd while they’ve stooped to look for
a suitable rock.
This
time He challenges them! They’ve
challenged Him – which HE answered, & now fires it right back at them.
32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you
from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
Don’t lose the trail of
Jesus’ reasoning or you’ll get confused & end up putting words in His
mouth. He begins by claiming essential
unity with the Father.
Then
He says the works He did were those assigned by God.
Which
work were they going to now hurl stones over?
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work
we do not stone You,
Ah – they admit His works
were good!
but for blasphemy, and
because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
See – there it is – in their
own words: They understood Jesus to be claiming deity.
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I
said, “You are gods”’?
In Psalm 82, the judges of
They
were given this label because in their office as judges they determined the
fate of other men.
The
people came to them to discern what the Lord’s will was and the Judges made
determinations based on the moving of the Spirit on them.
In 2
passages in Exodus, God refers to earthly judges as gods because they’re His
representatives. [21:6 & 22:8-9]
After referring to these
passages, Jesus said . . .
35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came
(and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the
Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I
said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
Jesus isn’t saying that men
are gods. He argues from the lesser to
the greater here.
His
logic goes thus: “If God can call imperfect human judges ‘gods’ just because
they represent
God
in their judgments, how much more applicable can I who do all things perfectly,
call Myself the Son of God?”
People who use what Jesus
said here to support the New Age idea that we’re actually gods only show they
don’t know how to interpret scripture.
37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe
Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works,
that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
This is an earnest piece of pleading
on Jesus’ part because He knows that time is running out, the last grains of
sand are slipping from the top of the hourglass on their chance to believe in
Him.
So
he says, “Stop & think clearly about the miracles I’ve done.
If
they aren’t of God, then it’s right for you to dismiss Me.
But,
if they are, then what does that say about Me?”
Jesus knew an honest
evaluation of the evidence would bring them to faith in Him.
Since
they didn’t come to faith in Him, what does that tells us about their
consideration of Him? It wasn’t honest!
39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He
escaped out of their hand.
They have come now to the
point where they just reject Jesus out of hand.
This
is it – it’s over. The fate of the
rulers is settled – as is evidenced by what happens next.
40 And He went away again beyond the
Jesus left
Since it was a well known
place with easy access, many went to see Him, and came to faith in Him.